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Oxidative stress, glutathione level and antioxidant response to heavy metals in multi-resistant pathogen, Candida tropicalis

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Abstract

In this study, we explored the multiple heavy metal-resistant yeast isolated from heavy metal-polluted environment. The isolated yeast showed maximum growth at 30 °C, pH 7.0, and the strain was identified as Candida tropicalis through 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence analysis. Yeast cells grew well in medium containing different concentrations of heavy metal ions [CdCl2, Pb(NO3)2, NaAsO2, CuSO4 and K2Cr2O7]. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against different metal ions was ranged from 5 to 19 mM, and the metal resistance value against each metal observed by yeast cells was 5 mM (Cr), 10 mM (Cd), 15 mM (As), 14 mM (Cu) and 19 mM (Pb) and increased in the following order: Pb > Cu > As ≥ Cd > Cr. The total cellular glutathione, GSH/GSSG redox couple and metallothioneins like protein (MT) were assayed by growing cultures for 24 h and exposed to 100 mg/L of each heavy metal ion. Remarkable increase in γ-glutamylcysteinylglycine (GSH) level was determined in arsenic and cadmium treatment followed by chromium, lead and copper. Stressed cells had much more oxidized GSH than unstressed cells. GSH/GSSG ratio was significantly increased in cadmium and copper treatment in contrast to chromium, arsenic and lead. Statistical analysis revealed significantly higher cysteine level in all metal-treated samples as compared to control. Antioxidant glutathione transferase activity was not detected in metal-treated and untreated yeast samples. One-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins revealed marked differences in banding pattern of heavy metal-exposed yeast samples. A prominent 20 kDa band was observed in all treated samples suggesting that some differential proteins could be over-expressed during heavy metal treatment and might be involved in cell resistance mechanisms.

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  1. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, 54590, Pakistan

    Sidra Ilyas & Abdul Rehman

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  1. Sidra Ilyas
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  2. Abdul Rehman
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Correspondence to Sidra Ilyas.

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Ilyas, S., Rehman, A. Oxidative stress, glutathione level and antioxidant response to heavy metals in multi-resistant pathogen, Candida tropicalis . Environ Monit Assess 187, 4115 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-4115-9

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